Father sentenced after missing baby found in woods with cracked skull, meth in system

HTV National Desk

Published
1:51 pm CDT, Thursday, April 18, 2019

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The father of a 1-year-old boy who was left outside in central Oregon with a broken leg, cracked skull and meth in his system has accepted a plea deal that will send him to prison for over two years.

Brandon Blouin agreed this week to enter an Alford plea to criminal mistreatment, endangering the welfare of a minor and felon in possession of body armor.

In exchange, charges of custodial interference, child neglect and abandonment of a child were dismissed.

Under the plea, Blouin’s lawyer acknowledged that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to prove the charges.

Authorities say Blouin and the child’s mother took the boy from his legal guardian in West Virginia. Authorities say Blouin allegedly told authorities he’d set the child down in the woods outside Bend but couldn’t find him.

"Blouin is believed to have been under the influence of a controlled substance when he made the choice set him down and walk away," deputies wrote.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office launched a massive search effort, utilizing ground and horseback searchers, as well as drones and helicopters with thermal image sensors.

More than six hours after he went missing, a detective assisting with the search found the child lying facedown, naked, in the dirt. The boy was sleeping, and covered in dirt and pine cones.

Detective Doug Jackson told The Oregonian that he and a sheriff's sergeant had come upon the child by following footprints left by the boy's father.

"I don't think we could've gotten a much bigger win than this," said Jackson. "When you have a needle in a haystack situation like this, it could go a number of different ways. It was very much a team effort, and I'm just thankful that we found the kiddo."